Former-mayor Wayne Rose resigns from Northport City Council

Less than two months after he took the oath of office, former Northport Mayor Wayne Rose has resigned his appointed position as a representative on the City Council.

The Tuscaloosa News reports Rose was sworn in on May 7 and attended the following council meeting May 21. He was absent from both meetings in June and from their meeting Monday, when council President Jay Logan announced Rose’s resignation.

Logan says Rose told the council that he had to prioritize spending time with his family and running the lumberyard he owns in Northport.

The seat was last up for election in fall 2016, when Dennis Hambright defeated incumbent councilwoman Judy Hayes in a runoff. Hambright was sworn in that December, but died suddenly in May 2017. The council appointed Lee Boozer, a retired educator and football coach, to replace Hambright, and he served from July 2017 until this February, when he resigned, citing health concerns.

Rose had previously served two non-consecutive terms on the City Council before he was elected mayor in 1988, where he served until 2000.

When District 5 Councilman Jeff Hogg nominated Rose for the appointment, he said it would bring stability to District 1 and give the people a familiar face as their representative.

Logan and Hogg both thanked Rose for his past and present service to Northport.

Hogg told the residents of District 1, who are once again left without a representative on the City Council, that the other four councilmen and Mayor Donna Aaron would work hard to assist them as long as the seat remains vacant, but that they would fill the vacancy as soon as they could.

State law allows the City Council 60 days after a seat is vacated to appoint a replacement councilman. If they do not make their own appointment in that timeframe, the decision will be passed to Gov. Kay Ivey, who has 30 days to make a decision. If the office remains vacant for more than 90 days, Probate Judge Hardy McCollum would call a special election to fill the seat.

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